House of Representatives

The Great Compromise created the bicameral legislature of the United StatesCongress of which the House of Representatives is one of the two houses. Each state is represented in the House of Representatives by a number of representatives proportional to the size of the state. All bills concerning finance or taxation must begin in the House of Representives; however, it is considered to be subordinate to the Senate.

Smilin Zack is incorrect: one is the minimum number of representatives per state.

Representatives are elected to two-year terms from the several states...each state elects a minimum of two representatives, and the District of Columbia elects one. The remaining 334 are apportioned to the states according to their populations (ascertained by way of the official census taken every ten years).

The house has 480 representatives. 300 are elected directly by single-seat districts. The remaining 180 are chosen by proportional representation, and this is where it gets tricky. Japan is divided into 11 electoral blocs that overlay its 300 electoral districts, and each of these blocs returns a certain number of members (6-30) based on its size. So, when a Japanese citizen votes, they choose a candidate for their district and a party for their bloc. This "split voting" system was implemented in 1996.

The minimum age to be a representative is 25: terms are for four years.

Procedurally speaking, Japan's House of Representatives is basically an American House of Representatives thrown into a parliamentary setting. It has a similar committee system, and its relationship with the House of Councillors is almost identical to the American House's relationship with the Senate. However, Japan's House of Representatives is still like Commons in that it elects, and can be dissolved by, the prime minister.

The House chamber is 23 meters long, 32 meters wide, and 13 meters high. The Speaker of the House and Secretary General sit behind a rostrum at the front of the room, flanked by the ministers of state. The remaining seats are organized in a semicircle around the rostrum, and individual parties are seated in blocs.